Legacies that would be better if a fighter had stayed retired

I think one name that comes to mind is Joe Louis. If he had stayed retired after beating Walcott for the second time his record would be a lot better. Now to be clear, I do NOT hold his past prime losses to Charles and Marciano against him. I just don’t think his record needed them. And I don’t think his legacy was improved by the comeback wins against Brion, Bivens, savold, etc. he already had the all time title defense record and wins over several world champions. He didn’t need anything else….. except the money but that’s irrelevant to the thread topic

 

Yeah, definitely Louis for sure.
One that I’d throw in even though he didn’t actually retire, just strongly hinted at it in a press conference, was Tyson after the Spinks fight. If he’d walked away then like he’d threatened to, I’m sure he’d be higher on most peoples lists.

 

****, he might be regularly ranked as #1 if nobody had ever seen him lose or struggle much. The best anyone had done against him by that point was just to survive.

 

Without a doubt Roy Jones if he retired after the first Tarver fight. If he would of not been Disqualified against Montell Griffen he would of been 50-0. Now I think he gets underrated cause of all the losses that came after Tarver 1

 

Jeffries! Had he not come back against Johnson, it's very possible he would've been remembered as one of the greats.

 

Excellent example and I agree. Roy Jones seemed to have fallen off the edge of a steep cliff after beating John Ruiz. He should have capped his career there and called it a day

 

Muhammad Ali. Should have retired after The Rumble at 45-2 with no unavenged defeats and the scalps of some of the division's biggest stars on his mantel. In another universe he leverages his celebrity to make more money than he did in his remaining fights.

 

Yes. That is one possibility. However, there were still good opportunities for Muhammad Ali to retire. After "Thrilla in Manila" is also a possibility. And at the latest after Leon Spinks 2. I think it's Muhammad Ali's fault that he didn't retire as a lineal champion That would definitely change his legacy.

 

It's why a lot of fighters turn to drug and/or drink. They are trying to re-create the high from competition.

 

I have him at TWO.

I don't think I would place him any higher had he stayed retired.

 

I think he is remembered as one of the greats.

He's probably in everybody's top twenty or twenty-five.

 

Not in a level anywhere near comparable to how he would've been remembered had he not returned, most people only know Jeffries as the guy who got whipped by Jack Johnson.

However, had he not lost, his legacy changes pretty significiantly. It's very likely he would've been remembered as an ATG by the casual audience on a level comparable to Joe Louis or Jack Dempsey

 

I would say Roy Jones but I am not sure if he retired after the Tarver / Johnson losses.

 

He’d have been the first heavyweight champion to have retired, and stay retired, without a loss, if I’m not mistaken.

 

Do you think this would make Marciano less important to the casual eye? A lot of people use Rocky's 49-0 record as a reason for his greatness, but Jeffries also retiring undefeated could deal a blow to this idea.